Prof. Sky Alton

You peer round a corner, trying to track down the source of some rather odd singing. To your amazement, you see a gigantic carton of popcorn, an even larger cup and an sizable hotdog. They all appear to be singing and dancing a rather ungainly version of the cancan. “Let’s all go to the lobby, let’s all go to the lobby, let’s all go to the lobby, to get ourselves a treat!” You back away very slowly. Once you’re out of range though, you realise you do feel a little peckish. And why not? Snacks are a crucial part of many people’s movie going experience. Whether it’s a huge bucket of buttery popcorn or a bag of your favourite sweets, we’d love to hear about your ideal movie-watching accompaniment. You can do this one of several ways: tell us about your favourite nibbles in 80 words or more, create a digital graphic or make your ideal snack and photograph it for us. The photograph must be your own work and not borrowed from elsewhere on the internet. Also, if you don’t like to snack while you watch films, feel free to tell us why not. There are no wrong answers here! Post your response below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 18 august to earn 10 rubies!

Ready to embark on another magical adventure? Well then, step right this way and I’ll show you to your seat. For each of these weekly screenings, we’re inviting you to pick between two Harry Potter films. You should then go and watch the one you picked and come back to offer your thoughts. And when we say your thoughts, it really can be anything at all. Perhaps you like (or dislike) a particular scene. Maybe there’s a mistake or inaccuracy that bugs you. Maybe you’d like to cast somebody different in one of the roles. Providing it’s HOL appropriate and polite, anything goes. There is no wordcount but please try to put a bit of effort in. Our options this week are Order of the Phoenix and Half Blood Prince. You can choose to watch them both if you’d like/have the time. Also, if you’re unable to access a copy of either film, feel free to join in the discussion anyway. The screening part is purely for fun. You’ll earn 5 rubies if you post your thoughts below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 18 August.

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You’re just thinking about checking out the complimentary butterbeer fountain when someone dashes up to you and asks whether you’ve got your quill to hand. As it turns out, your VIP status means you’ve been granted an interview with one of the shining stars of the magical silver screen. The runner escorts you backstage and leaves you there, brightly telling you they hope you’ve got some good questions to ask… Well, do you? For this task, we’d like you to write up your interview with a wizarding movie star. They could be a character of your own creation or a Harry Potter character who’s decided to switch careers. You Need to write both your questions as the interviewer and their answers. You could ask them about anything: their upcoming projects, their dream role, their likes or dislikes, the latest scandal to hit the Daily Prophet… Remember though, they may not want to give you an honest answer. Your write-up should be at least 120 words. Post it below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 18 August to earn 15 rubies!

Welcome back to the Gryffindor cinema room. Can I interest you in some scarlet and gold popcorn? What do you mean ‘Is it from Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes?’? Would we do that to our honoured guests? For each of these weekly screenings, we’re inviting you to pick between two Harry Potter films. You should then go and watch the one you picked and come back to offer your thoughts. And when we say your thoughts, it really can be anything at all. Perhaps you like (or dislike) a particular scene. Maybe there’s a mistake or inaccuracy that bugs you. Maybe you’d like to cast somebody different in one of the roles. Providing it’s HOL appropriate and polite, anything goes. There is no wordcount but please try to put a bit of effort in. Our options this week are Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire. You can choose to watch them both if you’d like/have the time. Also, if you’re unable to access a copy of either film, feel free to join in the discussion anyway. The screening part is purely for fun. You’ll earn 5 rubies if you post your thoughts below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 18 August.

Thank you, Hannah <3

Thank you all so much <3 And looool just so long as it's not me cleaning up that glitter....

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Welcome to our first screening! Grab yourself a snack and get comfy because the film is about to begin… For each of these weekly screenings, we’re inviting you to pick between two Harry Potter films. You should then go and watch the one you picked and come back to offer your thoughts. And when we say your thoughts, it really can be anything at all. Perhaps you like (or dislike) a particular scene. Maybe there’s a mistake or inaccuracy that bugs you. Maybe you’d like to cast somebody different in one of the roles. Providing it’s HOL appropriate and polite, anything goes. There is no wordcount but please try to put a bit of effort in. Our options this week are Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets. You can choose to watch them both if you’d like/have the time. Also, if you’re unable to access a copy of either film, feel free to join in the discussion anyway. The screening part is purely for fun. You’ll earn 5 rubies if you post your thoughts below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 18 August.

It’s finally happened. The Wizarding World has discovered the magic of the movies! To celebrate this new leap forward in wizarding entertainment, we’re jetting off to the first ever Wizarding Film Festival. Grab your VIP pass and prepared to be dazzled by the cinematic spectacular that’s about to unfold. It’s going to be glamourous… We’ll be spending the summer at the Wizarding Film Festival. Each week you’ll discover 3 tasks themed around the silver screen. These could be games, puzzles or creative tasks. Tasks will be released on 12 July, 19 July, 26 July, 2nd August and 9th August. There are 15 in total. You’ll have until 11:59 PM HOL-time on Wednesday 18 August to complete everything. In addition, we’ll also be holding a weekly screening. We’ll be inviting you to pick from 2 of the Harry Potter films each week to watch and then share your thoughts on. You can do this whenever works for you so don’t stress about trying to make particular times. Each of the main 15 tasks will be worth 10 or 15 rubies, with each screening worth 5. There’s a total of 185 rubies to be earned. We’ll top that up to 200 if you manage to do everything. If you’re struggling with a task for accessibility reasons, please let us know and we’ll find something else that works for you. Now… let’s go to the movies!

If you have any questions about the activity, you can ask them here and the festival staff will get back to you ASAP. ;)

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It may be summer but that doesn't mean there aren't point opportunities around. Now's an excellent time to get a head start and begin racking them up, ready for the next school year. As ever, the Departments have projects to be enjoyed. The Library are weaving stories about finding yourself in the wrong holiday destination and speculating on what would happen if a location that everyone thought was made up turned out not to be. Over in Art, they're paying a visit to the muggle Olympics and asking to see your favourite watery locales. Deadline: 1st August It's HOL's 20th anniversary! To celebrate, a grand tour of the castle is going on over on the HOL forum. There are 120 points up for grabs so make sure you head over their and immerse yourself in our community's rich and magical history. Deadline: 1st August

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What a stupendous term it’s been! Gryffindor has done astoundingly well and each and every one of you should be proud of what you achieved. Before I let you get back to the summer long party though, it’s time to hand out a few shiny awards. The Platinum Quill goes to our top points earner for the term. Reclaiming the crown is @Iverian Gnash who not only earned 2502 points but also maxed out the number of HOL spirit points it’s possible to earn in a single year. Well done, Ivey! Many congratulations to Lorainia Riverrider in second place as well. Wonderful work! Ivey isn’t ready to give up the podium just yet as she’s also managed to snag the Phoenix Award for being the highest Gryffindor ruby earner this term with a respectable haul of 110. Sticking with rubies, it’s congratulations to @Maxim Trevelyan of Ravenclaw. His herculean efforts in the ruby mines have earned him a dazzling 330 this term and secured him yet another Lionheart award for being the highest earning non-gryff. And now for the awards chosen by the staff… The Studious Simba is awarded to a Gryffindor student who has distinguished themselves through hard work in their classes. We’re delighted to award it to Davie Diggle for his sterling efforts in the classrooms this term! As I did last time, I’d also like to take this opportunity to include a few honourable mentions to celebrate some other students who have been putting in those academic hours: @Cailyn Woodenvale, @Buttercup Rosen and Doris Creevey The Lively Lionet award is presented to a Gryffindor who displays excellent house spirit and loyalty. This term (and every other), @Emerald Wolvenhowl has been our one-lion cheering squad, going to great lengths to encourage and embolden all of us. The Consistent Cub goes to a member of the house who gets involved with anything and everything, encouraging everyone else to do the same. We just couldn’t pick one recipient this term so we’d like to award it to 2 deserving lions… @Carrie Wartshas tried her paw at many things this term, approaching all of them with her signature bubbliness and eagerness to help. @Lorainia Riverrider has courageously thrown herself into new responsibilities this term, including helping to organise her first HOL-wide activity. Congratulations, everyone! Now, let's go spend all of Dario's gold on butterbeer!

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The results of the house cup race for 2020-2021 are in. For the first time in many, many years, Gryffindor came in second place!!!! Last year you did incredibly by securing third place after well over a decade of being stuck in fourth (seriously, it was once called ‘The Fourth Place Curse’). This year you smashed it and went 1 better. This is truly an amazing achievement for Gryffindor and we just couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of you who helped make it happen. Go, go, Gryffindor! We’d also like to congratulate our fellow houses on some truly amazing performances of their own. Everyone in HOL worked their socks off this year and it shows. Now… We party!!!!

The Leaky Cauldron is full of chatter and bright with afternoon sunlight. People constantly come and go through the back door, many of them carrying strange shaped packages and bags. The Situation: It’s the summer holidays so you’ve decided to take a trip to Diagon Alley to stock up. Shopping can be tiring though so it’s a good thing that the Leaky Cauldron is here to provide comfy seats and refreshments when you need to take a break. You might even run into some friends from school there… Location: You can roleplay in the Leaky Cauldron and the yard outside. Please don’t venture too far into Diagon Alley as it can be hard for people to keep track of where everyone is if ten different shops are involved. Make sure you check out the guidelines before diving in. Have fun! Note: This scenario will run for both July and August.

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